Freizeitpilot

I agree - but what would you suggest is the next best non fossil fuel alternative at present ?

Now, back to aviation for a moment…….., Will hydrogen have a role to play ? Even with quick charge, and higher charge density batteries, a direct IC hydrogen engine may still have the edge for small GA aircraft at present, if they can get them to work.

I know the topic heading was for nitrogen engines, but it was subsequently largely hijacked for hydrogen……,so here’s some more hydrogen stuff…… https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/aerospace/2025-04-11/kawasaki-targets-2030-piston-engine-certification And some of the new plastic fantastics on display at Aero 2025…….(which probably should be in their own thread) https://youtu.be/xm3JzMXCR2o?si=d9LLDqrBxDKUTM9A

Just curious - does the P3 have a flammable propellant and the can have a temperature limit stated on it at all ?

I mentioned on another thread… I expect there will be YouTube’s galore after Aero 25 at Friedrichshafen next week that feature all kinds of electric and possibly hydrogen aircraft innovations. I’m looking forward to see how good they could be and what the critical limitations are.

A $3 kitchen timer on the panel is a great reminder - even just to check fuel level for a high wing with dual feed.

https://www.aero-expo.com/conferences/hydrogen-and-battery-summit#1 Aero Friedrichshafen is the largest GA exhibition in Europe. This accompanying conference will provide an insight into the current European thinking for non fossil fuel flight. The presentation on a hydrogen powered 916is engine should be interesting.

The PB team are absolute professionals, and all strength to them. Lets hope the pilot fully recovers and is able to get back on the horse. What interests me is how the ATSB chooses which accidents to investigate. I know this has been dealt with elsewhere on this forum, but why this particular accident in what is clearly recognised as a high risk activity, versus others where the cause is a complete mystery and the consequences were even worse ? I’m not into conspiracy theories but it would be a bad look, if the ATSB said ‘nah, nothing to learn here’ when there were hundreds of witnesses and loads of media around. Ultimately, it would help if there was a publicly available decision matrix from the ATSB that identifies when an investigation is warranted and when one is not, within their limited budget. I respect the individuals within the ATSB and really do hope they perform a thorough investigation so we and the PB team can all learn and enhance safety further.

Extract from AFR……. Labor has quietly walked back a key plank of its plans to decarbonise Australia’s road freight industry, emptying an $80 million fund it set up three years ago to turbocharge the take-up of hydrogen-powered trucks. Tuesday’s budget revealed that the government had removed $75 million of uncommitted funding from the Hydrogen Highways program, which was meant to encourage the use of hydrogen-fuelled trucks and the construction of charging stations along major freight routes.

When exploring a project near Chinchilla a few years ago, there were no rail slots available from there to the Port of Brisbane…..and a vague recollection there was a weight limit on the track as well.

Ummm, western QLD ?? Ord river, etc, etc ?

A non-fossil fuel solution for heavy road haulage still seems a challenge. Maybe this is where hydrogen will find a niche. (Not sure about nitrogen though) There are already good heavy short haul solutions around using quick change battery packs, but the long distance road trains a still a bit of a head scratch.

Yes - grass is such a different animal to bitumen, amongst other things.

It may break even….or even turn a profit from advertising ? - I don’t know .You’d need to dig deep into the financials to figure that out. Member engagement and nurturing a ‘community’ is key. A membership magazine may be a very small part of that, but given the diversity of interests and opinions across recreational aviation, it would be challenging to hit the centreline every time. I’m not too fussed about the magazine for or against. I do note the editor does write a lot of the articles though, which suggests that member contributed articles are practically zero, which is a pity. I read Flying Australia as well, and used to read Australian Pilot when it was a print version in newsagents. Some articles in all these magazines were interesting to me, others I’d skip over. Someone said, if you can please some of the people, some of the time, you’re doing ok. Ultimately, to make the magazine feel more genuine to the membership, more grass roots member articles would help……but who is going to volunteer to write them ? I’m just a passive member that just likes flying and I don’t get too worked up about all the ‘baggage’ that goes with it. Maybe some day I’ll fly somewhere unique and particularly interesting and I’ll be motivated to dip my quill into the ink.

Is that a Lightwing ?